Ukraine’s Energy Defense: Billions Allocated, Allies Support, But Questions About Execution Persist

Ukraine has spent hundreds of billions hryvnias on energy infrastructure protection, supported by allies, yet questions remain about actual fund utilization and project effectiveness.

The government will allocate over UAH 11 billion for the protection of critical infrastructure – Svyrydenko, March 14, 2026.

How much has already been spent on the protection and restoration of our energy system? I’ll say right away: more than UAH 500 billion has been utilized! Everything is documented in reports and publicly available. This was reported by Serhiy Pohrebetskyi.

Funding for the construction of protective facilities came from two sources: the Ukrainian budget and assistance from allies and donors. From the Ukrainian budget, the following was spent:

By the beginning of 2026, total expenditures on physical and engineering protection of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure since the start of the full-scale invasion exceeded UAH 50 billion.

Here is a more detailed breakdown of the funds and the status of project implementation:

Key financial indicators

2023–2024: According to the Accounting Chamber, during this period work worth UAH 18.7 billion was actually carried out out of the planned UAH 35.9 billion.

Additional allocations: Only at the end of 2024 did the Cabinet of Ministers allocate an additional UAH 10 billion to strengthen facilities against shelling, followed by another UAH 6 billion in autumn 2025.

The protection of the energy system was built according to a three-level model:

First level: Protection against blast waves and debris (gabions, sandbags).

Second level: Protection against direct UAV strikes (“Shaheds”). For example, the construction of anti-drone facilities for just one hydroelectric power plant (Kremenchuk HPP) cost about UAH 2 billion.

Third level: The most expensive and complex — protection against direct missile strikes (construction of underground facilities and concrete sarcophagi).

As of March 2026, the total assistance from allies to Ukraine for the restoration and protection of the energy system since the start of the full-scale invasion exceeds $11 billion in the form of direct contributions, grants, and equipment.

The G7 and partners have collectively mobilized over $4 billion for the restoration and protection of energy infrastructure.

The European Union has allocated about €6 billion in financial support for the restoration and protection of energy networks and funding for electricity imports.

Someday, hopefully in the near future, the people of Ukraine and our allies will ask our authorities: where is the money, and how was it spent?!

EMPR